Woman Killed By SUV Crash While Crossing West Village Street: NYPD

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A senior citizen was killed after a driver behind the wheel of a large SUV slammed into her as she crossed a West Village street, police said.

Laraine Kleinman, 76, was struck by a driver operating a 2023 Chevy Suburban on Tuesday, and died a day later, police said.

Kleinman was crossing the street near Greenwich Avenue and West 10th Street, just steps from her home, on Tuesday at around 6:45 p.m., when a 56-year-old driving the nearly three-ton SUV made a left turn onto Greenwich Avenue and slammed into her, officials said.

First responders found Kleinman lying in the crosswalk with severe head trauma and rushed her to Bellevue Hospital, where she died the next day, police said.

Officials said that the driver was uninjured and remained at the scene.

While there are no arrests at this time, police said that the fatal collision is still under investigation.

Researchers and advocates point out that the growing size of SUVs and pickup trucks can acutely put pedestrians at risk, often stating that many street-legal vehicles now have dimensions similar to the World War Two Serman M4 tank used to defeat Nazi Germany.